Automatic sauce dispensing system

Abstract

A new and improved automatic sauce dispensing system, which is to be utilized in restaurants, particularly fast-food restaurants, in order to quickly and accurately prepare food products, such as, for example, conventional hamburger sandwiches which require two buns, or Big Mac® sandwiches which require three buns, or other food items which desire or require to have specific sauces deposited thereon in accordance with specific patron orders, is disclosed. A plurality of sauce containers are fluidically connected to a plurality of sauce dispensing valves which are capable of being moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of food products along a food product conveyor. The dispensing valves are therefore capable of being located at any xy coordinate relative to the food product conveyor so as to accurately dispense and deposit a particular sauce onto a food product.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent, is: 
     
         1 . An automatic sauce dispensing system for automatically dispensing sauces onto food products being conveyed along at least one food product conveyor, comprising:
 a plurality of sauce containers respectively containing a plurality of sauces;   a plurality of dispensing valves fluidically connected respectively to said plurality of containers containing the plurality of sauces for respectively controlling the dispensing of the plurality of sauces from said plurality of canisters; and   a control system for moving said plurality of dispensing valves relative to the at least one food product conveyor, and for controlling the operation of said plurality of dispensing valves, such that one or more sauces can be dispensed onto particular food products conveyed along the at least one food product conveyor.   
     
     
         2 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the at least one food product conveyor conveys the food products in a first x direction; and   said control system moves said plurality of dispensing valves in a second y direction which is perpeniduclar to said first x direction such that said plurality of dispensing valves can effectively be disposed at any xy coordinate location relative to the at least one food product conveyor so as to be capable of accurately depositing the sauces on the food products being conveyed by the at least one food product conveyor.   
     
     
         3 . The system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein:
 said plurality of dispensing valves are mounted upon at least one valve bank.   
     
     
         4 . The system as set forth in  claim 3 , further comprising:
 at least one guide rod extending across the at least one food product conveyor so as to extend in said y direction;   a servo motor drive movably mounted upon said at least one guide rod; and   said at least one valve bank, having said plurality of dispensing valves mounted thereon, is mounted upon said servo motor drive so that as said servo motor drive moves along said at least one guide rod, said at least one valve bank, having said plurality of dispensing valves mounted thereon, moves along said at least one guide rod in said y direction relative to the at least one food product conveyor.   
     
     
         5 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said plurality of sauce containers are respectively mounted internally within a plurality of canisters.   
     
     
         6 . The system as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein:
 each one of said plurality of canisters is provided with a removable cap so as to permit said sauce container disposed within said canister to be removed from said canister when the supply of sauce contained within said sauce container is depleted, and to permit said depleted sauce container to be replaced by a sauce container containing a full supply of sauce.   
     
     
         7 . The system as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein:
 each one of said plurality of end caps for said plurality of canisters is provided with a pneumatic fitting for permitting a supply of pressurized air to be fluidically connected to each one of said plurality of canisters, and to each one of said plurality of sauce containers disposed within said plurality of canisters, so as to pressurize the sauce contained within said plurality of sauce containers.   
     
     
         8 . The sauce dispensing system as set forth in  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a sensor system respectively associated with each one of said plurality of sauce containers for sensing the amount of sauce remaining within each one of said plurality of sauce containers so as to enable food preparation personnel to replace a depleted sauce container with another sauce container which has a full supply of sauce contained therein.   
     
     
         9 . The system as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein:
 said sensor system respectively associated with each one of said plurality of sauce containers comprises a light transmitter disposed upon one side of a sauce container and a light receiver disposed upon the opposite side of the sauce container,   whereby when a light beam from said light transmitter is received by said light receiver, a warning/alarm will be emitted indicating to food preparation personnel that the sauce supply within the sauce container is being depleted or has been depleted.   
     
     
         10 . The system as set forth in  claim 9 , wherein:
 said sensor system is calibrated so as to distinguish between a predetermined volumetric amount of sauce contained within said sauce container and a film of sauce which may be residually disposed upon an internal peripheral wall surface of said sauce container as sauce is depleted from said sauce container.   
     
     
         11 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 each one of said sauce dispensing valves comprises a pinch valve for pinching closed a fluid hose or conduit fluidically connecting a respective one of said plurality of sauce containers to a respective one of said plurality of sauce dispensing valves.   
     
     
         12 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said control system comprises a programmable logic controller (PLC).   
     
     
         13 . The system as set forth in  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a point of sale (POS) location operatively connected to said programmable logic controller (PLC) such that patrons can enter food orders directly into said system.   
     
     
         14 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an automatic cleaning system for cleaning said system wherein said cleaning system may be initiated from said point of sale (POS) location and can be controlled by said programmable logic controller (PLC).   
     
     
         15 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said system comprises an integral component of a food preparation line.   
     
     
         16 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said system comprises a modular component that can effectively be inserted into and removed from various different food preparation lines.   
     
     
         17 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 at least one of said plurality of sauce containers may be pre-cooled to a temperature below ambient room temperature.   
     
     
         18 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 at least one of said plurality of sauce containers may be pre-heated to a temperature above ambient room temperature.